Monroe stakes claim for its own field of town park dreams

MONROE-Baseball fields, soccer fields, walking and biking trails, a concession stand with bathrooms and lots of parking. That's what the Monroe Town Board has planned for a new town park off of West Mombasha Road near School Road. There also are two large ponds on the 47-acre site. It will cost about $2 million to build the park on land purchased last year for $465,000. The town board had originally declined to purchase the property last year because of concerns about buried waste. However, R.D. Management, the developer who owns Harriman Commons, agreed to pay for the waste removal. Funding for the project has not yet been decided, but the town will look for donors. Monroe Town Supervisor Sandy Leonard said this park design represents the first installment of what is hoped to be a comprehensive plan for town parks. At a recent town board meeting, Leonard said she and her colleagues on the town board plan to host a tour of the undeveloped properties. And then, she added, the board will hold public hearings to allow town residents to voice their vision for Monroe town parks.